So here we are again. It seems my plan to post a preview once a week or there abouts kinda feel flat. I apologize. But here we are, a couple of days until the season starts, so I can still make good… or try to anyway. So here I am to cap off the Western conference preview by looking at the Central division.

Hello again. Continuing on with the hockey firm season preview, I will take a look at the Northwest division. The division has been owned by the Vancouver Canucks the past two seasons, and has all the Canadian teams in the Western conference in it. There is a huge talent gap in this division, and while there are some teams on the rise, I think it will be much of the same this year. Read the rest of this entry »

Hello there! It’s been a while (again) since I have posted. June 23rd to be exact. I had plans of doing a blog on July 1st free agent frenzy thing, however I was in St. Sauveur for a wedding and by the time I got home, it all seemed like old news. After that, not a whole lot has gone on in the NHL. The Summer is brutal for hockey talk. I know there was some and I tried to keep it going on the facebook page, but summer and the sun got the better of me. But here we are, September 1st and training camp is a few weeks away and the NHL season only a month away. With that in mind I am planning on previewing each division over the next couple of weeks and then getting into my long term predictions, which as we all know, will probably be WAY off, but it’s still fun to do. Read the rest of this entry »

Well hello again! It has been a LONG time. I feel bad for leaving my reader(s) out in the cold for the past few weeks. A lot has changed. First I got a new job which had me working Monday to Friday 8:30-5:00. I know there are weekends, but the summer if very busy for me. Still not a very good excuse for failing to update the site, it was laziness plane and simple, and I apologize. The Stanley Cup playoffs are over and the final went seven games… sounds like a great thing right? WRONG! First of all my nightmare final happened Boston vs Vancouver. I really hate these teams. There was a time I liked Vancouver but in the days of Linden, Bure, Courtnall, Ronning and McLean. But that was a long time ago. These Canucks are too soft, mentally, which was on full display in the finals. But the play was lacking, try as some might the games were really uneventful, even the one goal games. Before I get to that, I first must say (and it hurts to do it) Congratulations to the Boston Bruins for winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in 39 years. They were the far superior team in the finals and deserved the cup… sort of…. Read the rest of this entry »

All I can say is, THANK YOU DETROIT! (And San Jose). The Western Conference semi final series between Detroit and San Jose has saved the second round. I am wondering aloud if there has ever been a playoffs, in any sport, where two teams have had 3-0 series leads only to be forced into a game seven? Chicago did it to Vancouver in the first round, and forced the game into overtime, but Vancouver was able to win the game, the series and avoid humiliation. Can the Red Wings take that extra step? Can the Sharks avoid another serious playoff meltdown? Needless to say, the Red Wings comeback is fantastic for fans, well not Sharks fans, but it’s good for neutral, casual fans. There is tons of drama, excitement and intrigue in this series. The second round REALLY needed this because so far the second round has been a joke; the East was brutal with Tampa and Boston sweeping aside their competition (Washington and Philadelphia – the top two seeds in the East) and Vancouver, while going to six games and hope as I might, were not going to blow it against the offensively challenged Predators. While going to six games, the games were an eye sore and lacked any real excitement or drama. Thankfully Detroit was able to find a way to prolong their series and add some much needed life into the second round. Read the rest of this entry »

Round 2 is well on its way in the NHL playoffs and so far they have been lacking excitement. Only one series, so far, has both teams winning at least 1 game. After the incredible first round with five game sevens, with two going to overtime. It’s an unfortunate drop off in competition which is sucking the life out of the playoffs a bit. Everyone loves a good 7 game series and while a lot of the games have been close, the results are all one sided. When I last posted I didn’t think the second round would almost be over by now. It could be over tomorrow night in Vancouver depending on how the games tonight go. How insane is that? One sweep, two other series at 3-0 and the other at 3-1. Read the rest of this entry »

Here we are, all series in the second round of the NHL playoffs are two games in and only one of them is tied at 1-1, and it’s probably not the one you might think. I’m going to examine the series to see why Washington, Detroit and Philadelphia are struggling and why Vancouver is in more of a dog fight then I think people thought. I’m also going to look at the Habs and their need going into free agency. Who they should re-sign and who they should look at in free agency. First off, the playoffs. I find it kind of crazy that Philadelphia, Washington and Detroit are all down 2-0 in their series. All 3 are serious contenders for the cup; well 2 think they are, while Detroit is. Read the rest of this entry »

Well the first round is over. The playoffs might not have started so great, but this first round ended up being incredible. There were 4 game 7’s and tons of OT’s including two game 7 overtimes. Vancouver/Chicago, Philadelphia/Buffalo, Tampa Bay/Pittsburgh and Boston/Montreal all played in game 7’s. It saw many favourites pushed to the edge, but thankfully for them they were able to hold on. With round 1 in the books we get to look back and look forward to round 2 which begins tonight. I have to say, Detroit looks like the favourite, going away. Things can change but they are only getting healthier and look to be operating like the machine we have come to know all too well. Read the rest of this entry »

Well the first round of the NHL playoffs have picked up. We have seen nights of multiple games going into multiple overtimes, close games and some more fun head hunting! If one thing can be made clear these playoffs it’s that no lead is safe! Every series has at least one game where a team comes storming back to tie (and usually win) which is making for some crazy games. The Chicago/Vancouver series is the exception, with comebacks in games, but there is another comeback going on there. Right now, 3 teams resting and waiting to get the second round of the playoffs going. Detroit, who dispatched Phoenix in 4, Nashville who eliminated Anaheim in 6 and Washington who took care of the Rangers in 5 are all through. The rest of the series are still up in the air. We know there are already 2 game 7’s to play and maybe 4 more. It’s getting a little crazy out there. Read the rest of this entry »

Hello people. Sorry for the long delay… it’s that time of year, when school work piles up and you have papers on top of finals. What a magnificent time of year!! Well it is because the weather (supposedly) is getting better and its playoff time!!! The NHL playoffs this year, so far, have been a little lack lustre in terms of excitement, but still, I love this time of year. Read the rest of this entry »

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